Osprey Team Set to Go the Distance

Hall of Fame football coach Tom Landry once said, “Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan.”

From the moment Balfour Beatty partnered with modular construction firm, Prescient, on the Osprey, the project team established many noteworthy goals for this mixed-use, multifamily development: accelerating the schedule to achieve the owner’s desired pro forma, seamlessly integrating the prefabricated structural installation with on-site labor and being among the first projects using the Prescient solution to go vertical in Atlanta.

But they knew none of these goals would be possible without a project plan that was both strategic and tactical, a plan that accounted for every contingency and mitigated every conceivable risk. For the Osprey team, that process began with perfecting the tower structure prefab design, working in early and close alignment with the owner, Toll Brothers Apartment Living; Brock Hudgins Architects; Prescient; and key trade partners.

To develop shop drawings, the team examined every building element that tied back into the structural frame. From the layout of the roof condensers to the thickness of gypcrete and the gauge sizes of screws, they left no stone unturned. MEP coordination efforts were equally meticulous, helping ensure ductwork, plumbing drain lines and every single building system fit into the structural framework like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

Epitomizing lean thinking, the team also began planning installation of the Osprey’s prefabricated components more than 12 months before they were scheduled to arrive on-site. The team discovered that by pre-stocking select building components, they could accelerate the dry-in process, fully capitalize on work available and create a safer working environment for trade partners.

“We’re a team that understands the difference between being productive versus being effective,” says Patrick Fleming, senior project manager. “We believe in getting the right things done and not just crossing items off our to-do lists.”

As the Osprey team gears up for Prescient’s arrival on-site in early 2019, they remain committed to the ambitious goal with which they started the project: becoming a model of off-site execution from design to delivery and a catalyst for transforming the traditional construction value chain. United by a strong plan and clear purpose, this team is well on its way.